A cover letter introduces you and your resume to potential employers or organizations you seek to join. It is the first document an employer sees, so it is often the first impression you will make. Take advantage of this important first impression and prepare the reader for your application by including three key items in your cover letter:
Cover letters do more than introduce your resume. A cover letter's importance also includes its ability to:
- Why you are writing to the individual, organization or company
- Why you are a good match for the job and the organization
- When you will contact him or her
Cover letters do more than introduce your resume. A cover letter's importance also includes its ability to:
- Explain your experiences in a story-like format that works with the information provided in the resume
- Allow you to go in-depth about important experiences/skills and relate them to the job requirements
- Show the employer that you are individualizing (tailoring) this job application
- Provide a sample of your written communication skills
What do I include in my cover letter heading?
The heading provides your contact information, the date you are writing, and the address of the company to which you are applying.
For your contact information, you will want to include:
Then, you will skip a line and write the full date (month, day, year). Follow this by skipping a space and writing the contact information of the person to whom you are writing:
For your contact information, you will want to include:
- Your name
- The address where you can be reached (if you live at college, will it be more accessible to include the local address or your permanent address?)
- Phone number
- Fax number (if applicable)
- E-mail address
Then, you will skip a line and write the full date (month, day, year). Follow this by skipping a space and writing the contact information of the person to whom you are writing:
- Name of the specific person
- Title of that person (if available)
- Address of the company
The reason you write your phone/fax number and email address is to make it easy for the company to contact you. You do not need to put this information down for the company itself.
The following resources are a compilation of tips and strategies to guide you throughout the writing of your cover letter:
Purdue OWL YouTube Channel: Cover Letters
Cover Letter Workshop- Formatting and Organization